The Shippensburg University field hockey team used a quick start Sunday, scoring three first-half goals to get past IUP, 3-0, in a non-conference match on a rain-soaked day at Robb Sports Complex.
Shippensburg (4-2) and IUP (3-2) each gave its all considering the miserable conditions, as the game was played amidst a constant downpour and steady winds. In the third quarter, with conditions at their worst, the teams combined for just one total shot.
The Raiders capitalized on their scoring chances in the first half and rode that momentum to victory. Just less than five minutes in, junior Yasmin De Meyer (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa/Epworth (Newberry) finished a cross from sophomore Agus Garibaldi (Recoleta, Argentina/Colegio San Agustin) to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead that lasted to the end of the quarter.
SU then scored twice in an 84-second span of the second quarter, beginning with the first collegiate goal for redshirt-freshman Alexa Michielsen (Bloemendaal, The Netherlands/International School of Amsterdam), who tapped in the ball at the goal line from a shot by freshman Carme Caracotche Picone (Mar del Plata, Argentina/Instituto San Alberto).
Shortly thereafter, senior Mya Kemp (Delmar, Del./Delmar) had a restart off a foul in the offensive zone and sent a ball into the box that Garibaldi forwarded off her stick to De Meyer, who caged her second of the day. It is De Mayer’s second career two-goal game.
Redshirt-sophomore Emma Albee (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) made four saves in the shutout. Shots on goal were 6-4 in SU’s favor, while IUP had seven penalty corners to Shippensburg’s five.
Shippensburg will travel Wednesday to West Chester for a 4 p.m. non-conference matchup with the Golden Rams.
